Recent popularity of elongated-uncoated tablets has presented manufacturers of tablet counting machines with vexing problems. These tablets often became wedged in slat cavities and would not drop, by force of gravity, or otherwise be discharged into containers, resulting in short counts. If the wedging of a tablet within a slat cavity is permitted to remain, the miscount is aggravated each time that slat passes the discharge station. Such wedged tablets are not readily detected by an operator working at the front of the counting machine since the slat cavities carrying the wedged tablets are not visible until they have already been recharged from a hopper.
In attempting to solve the wedging problem, not only with elongated-uncoated tablets, but any tablets, pills, bolus, or articles which may have become wedged or stuck in slat cavities, several manufacturers employ pins which are inserted into, or through the slat cavity, and then withdrawn, for removing or ejecting the stuck or wedged article. Cam or eccentric means are required to coordinate pin movement with the moving slat cavities. Many moving parts are needed which require rather precise adjustment and/or alignment if costly damage to the machine is to be avoided.
The present invention provides structure for ejecting wedged articles from slat cavities by means of spaced stationary blades which register with a pre-cut slit provided through each cavity, the blades being positioned either at the discharge station, in which case the ejected article may be counted; or at a slat return area, in which case the ejected article merely falls into an isolated container suitably placed.